Responsibility to Protect

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosnia) is a country in southeastern Europe. In July 1995, Bosnian Serb forces killed nearly 8,000 Bosnian Muslim (Bosniak) men and boys near Srebrenica, a town in Bosnia. It was the largest massacre in Europe since the Holocaust.

Background

The nation of Yugoslavia was established in 1918 following the end of World War I. It was composed of six republics: Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Yugoslavia was ethnically and religiously diverse. Major population groups included Bosniaks (Muslim), Serbs (Christian), and Croats (Catholic).

From 1953 until his death in 1980, Josip Tito served as president of Yugoslavia. After his death, ethnic nationalism increased in Yugoslavia. Most of the republics wanted independence, while Serbia wanted to strengthen its control over all of Yugoslavia. Serbia’s leader, Slobodan Milosevic encouraged Serbian nationalism, especially in Serb communities inside of Bosnia and Croatia.

By the early 1990s, the majority of Bosnia’s population was one of three ethnic groups: Bosnian Muslims (Bosniaks, 44%), Bosnian Serbs (31%), and Croat (17%). In 1992, Bosnia moved toward independence; however, the creation of an independent Bosnia would mean that the new country would have a Bosniak majority. Bosnian Serbs opposed this.

When Bosnia declared its independence on April 5, 1992, Bosnian Serbs immediately established Republika Srpska–Bosnian Serb Republic–within the borders of Bosnia. With the backing of the primarily Serb Yugoslav Army, the Bosnian Serb Army (VRS) quickly launched attacks in an effort to win territory and expel non-Serbs from the area. Their tactics included murder, rape, torture, and forced displacement–a process known as “ethnic cleansing.” Over the course of the war that followed (1992-1995), approximately 100,000 people (mostly Bosniaks) were killed.

Srebrenica

In the beginning of the war, Bosnian Serbs began targeting the town of Srebrenica. The town and the surrounding area were controlled by the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Srebrenica bridged two disconnected regions of Republika Srpska, so Bosnian Serbs wanted to control the area. Because it was controlled by Bosniaks, refugees from the surrounding area flooded into Srebrenica beginning in 1992.

In April 1993, the United Nations declared Srebrenica a “safe area,” ordering “all parties and others concerned [to] treat Srebrenica and its surroundings as a safe area which should be free from any armed attack or any hostile act.” Soon after, the UN called for a ceasefire and deployed peacekeepers to Srebrenica (UNPROFOR). Both sides violated this agreement: the Bosnian forces did not give up their weapons and the Bosnian Serbs did not withdraw their troops from the area.

By the spring of 1995, Bosnian Serb forces controlled the territory surrounding Srebrenica, making it nearly impossible for food, fuel, and medicine to make it into the enclave. Bosniaks in Srebrenica began to die of starvation. Even the UN peacekeepers could not access the supply road.

In March 1995, Radovan Karadzic, President of Republika Srpska, issued Directive 7, ordering the VRS to “create an unbearable situation of total insecurity with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica.”

On July 6, 1995, the VRS, commanded by General Ratko Mladic, advanced toward the Srebrenica enclave. Troops burned homes and caused thousands of Bosniaks to flee to Srebrenica and Potocari, a nearby town where UNPROFOR was headquartered. Approximately 200 UN peacekeepers from the Netherlands were stationed in Potocari, but none of them fired on Bosnian Serb forces or tried to stop the advance. VRS troops captured several UNPROFOR observation posts in the following days.

On July 11, 1995, the VRS entered the town of Srebrenica. Up to 30,000 Bosniaks fled and sought protection at UNPROFOR headquarters. Thousands squeezed inside, but the rest were left outside of the compound. More than 10,000 Bosniak men and boys attempted to flee the area. Thousands were caught or surrendered to the VRS based on false promises of safety.

The next day, Bosnian Serb forces took control of Potocari. Women, children, and the elderly boarded buses that would take them to Bosniak-held territory. Approximately 30,000 people were forcibly removed from the area in this manner. As the buses were being loaded, VRS troops begin separating Muslim men and boys of military age from the crowd.

Over the next several days, approximately 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered by Bosnian Serb forces. Their bodies were put into mass graves. As of 2021, more than 1,000 victims of the Srebrenica genocide have not been identified.

In 2004, the government of Republika Srpska–now an official entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina–issued an apology for the massacre at Srebrenica. Karadzin, Milosevic, and Mladic were all tried at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

Bosniak: Bosnian Muslim

enclave: a portion of territory within or surrounded by a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY): a court created by the United Nations to prosecute individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia

Karadzic, Radovan (Kah-rah-jitch): President of Republika Srpska (Bosnian Serb Republic), 1992-1996. In 2016, Karadzic was convicted of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

Milosevic, Slobodan (Mee-low-SHEH-vitch): president of Serbia from 1989-2000. Milosevic was eventually tried for war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, but died before a verdict was reached.

Mladic, Ratko (Muh-LAH-ditch): Colonel-General of the Army of Republika Srpska who oversaw the atrocities of Srebrenica. In 2017, Mladic was convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia.

paramilitary: a group that is organized like a military force, but is not officially part of a country’s armed forces

Potočari (Poh-toh-char-ee): village near Srebrenica; base of UN peacekeeping operations

Republika Srpska (Reh-POO-blee-kuh Serp-skuh): Bosnian Serb Republic, a self-proclaimed sovereign state inside the borders of Bosnia-Herzegovina from 1992-1995. It was not recognized by Bosnia, the United Nations, or any other state. It is now a constituent of Bosnia.

Srebrenica (Sreh-breh-neetz-uh): a town located in the eastern part of Republika Srpska in Bosnia-Herzegovina

UNPROFOR: United Nations Protection Force, the UN peacekeeping mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995

Yugoslavia: a country in southeastern Europe that existed from 1918-1992. Present-day countries that were once part of Yugoslavia are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Slovenia.